News from the College/Career/Counseling Center

College Applications
All of the Washington State colleges and Universities are now accepting applications for admission. Students should keep copies of everything that they send to the colleges. If filing electronically, students need to have Collette Maus in the Counseling Center send their transcript to all of the colleges to which they applied. Students are strongly encouraged to contact the colleges to make sure they’ve received all application materials. We are no longer posting SAT/ACT scores on students’ transcripts. You can call the College Board at 866-756-7346 and have them sent to colleges. There is a fee of $9.00 per score report.

Financial Aid
Filing FAFSA doesn’t have to be intimidating. The Department of Education has developed and published a web worksheet to assist you in filing the FAFSA. Completing this worksheet will help tremendously. These worksheets are available in the Career Center.

It is important for the student to know the process of completing the FAFSA. In the event he or she is working with the financial aid department at their college next year, they will be able to answer questions. Make this process a family affair.
Gather records including the student’s social security card, parents’ and student’s W-2 and last pay stub, bank/investment statements. Finally, deadlines for FAFSA vary from school to school. Be sure to check with the colleges top which your son or daughter is applying. Filing as soon after January 1, 2007, is highly recommended.

Post-Secondary Handbook
This year, juniors and seniors can access the entire revised edition of the Post-Secondary handbook on our web site. Once at the high school’s web page, click on C/C/C Center. You will see the Handbook’s link on the left side of the page. It is in a pdf format. Throughout the month of October, Jill Kassa visited junior and senior classrooms to acquaint the students with this year’s handbook. The handbook is designed to provide a wealth of information to students regarding college preparation, selecting a college, financial aid basics, college entrance exams, tips for applying to college, vocational/technical programs, and military careers.

Spokane Community College Open Houses
Spokane Community College will be spotlighting programs offered in the form of an Open House throughout the year. Each month they will feature certain programs and provide hands-on demonstrations for students and parents. The events will be from 5:45-7:00 p.m., beginning with a welcome orientation at Spokane Community College in the Lair (Building 6), 1810 N. Greene St., Spokane WA. The dates for this year’s Open Houses are; 2/27 and 4/23. If you are interested in attending one of these Open Houses, you must RSVP by calling 533-8855 within one week of the event. Topics for future Open Houses can be obtained by calling Mrs. Kassa at 340-4213 or e-mail at jkassa@9mile.org.

Scholarships:
Check out our web site for the latest scholarships. There are many to look at and consider. Most have direct links to their web sites.